Undead Mage: I Have a Skeleton Clone-Chapter 563 - 395: Skeleton Centurion, Luxurious Attribute Panel!
Although their combat power had not diminished much under the effects of the Skeleton Soldier Talisman, they were far inferior to free-roaming Skeleton Warriors in terms of Soul Power abundance.
This was good news, however, because Fang Zhou believed the Soul Fire cores of these thousands of Skeleton Warriors were concentrated around the Skeleton Lord. This meant that once he took down the Skeleton Lord, he could naturally inherit that vast number of Soul Fire cores. The Soul Power they contained would be an astronomical figure.
It could be said that Fang Zhou regarded the Skeleton Lord as both the most powerful enemy he had encountered since his Awakening and his most bountiful treasure.
The bad news was the appearance of a Skeleton Centurion.
The Skeleton Chiliarchs and skeleton clusters Fang Zhou had hunted all belonged to the Skeleton Lord. When he hunted the first and second skeleton clusters, the Skeleton Lord hadn’t reacted. But by the time he had hunted seven or eight skeleton clusters, there were no longer any isolated groups to be found in the vast surrounding area, perhaps on the orders of the Skeleton Lord, or maybe the Skeleton Centurion.
All the skeleton clusters under the Skeleton Lord had been gathered under the command of the Skeleton Centurion! Under its command, they began to search for Fang Zhou’s trail!
Without those easily defeated Skeleton Chiliarchs, Fang Zhou naturally lost his source of Soul Power. This was, of course, bad news.
However, Fang Zhou’s original plan had been to hunt the forces under the Skeleton Lord to prepare resources for perfecting his four major attributes and breaking through to the Bronze Tier. Now that the Skeleton Centurion had taken the initiative, the difficulty had increased, forcing Fang Zhou to confront a stronger enemy. However, it also allowed him to improve his strength more quickly.
Should this also be considered good news?
「In the Corpse Hills.」
After seeing the Skeleton Centurion’s movements through Bruce, his Skeleton Bat circling high in the sky, Fang Zhou halted and awaited its attack.
While waiting, he opened his attribute panel.
After hunting more than ten consecutive skeleton clusters, Fang Zhou’s physique attribute, following his Power Attribute, had also reached the perfection level of 100 points.
These stats were perhaps not quite on the level of the Skeleton Lord, but they weren’t far off. When facing a Skeleton Chiliarch, he could even kill it in a single strike.
Fang Zhou wasn’t concerned about the Mutated Skeleton Commanders under the Skeleton Centurion’s command. Even without the help of his skeleton minions, he could come and go as he pleased with his current power. The only thing he needed to consider was how to slay the Skeleton Centurion amidst the vast Sea of Skulls.
After a moment of contemplation, Fang Zhou focused his attention on his remaining few thousand points of Soul Power. This was all harvested from his incessant ’stone gambling’ over the past few days.
His main body had no available skills to deduce at the moment, but his Clone’s Black Iron-tier Combat Professional Universal Skills still held great potential to be tapped. After all, most of the Black Iron-tier Combat Professional Universal Skills his Clone now used were powered by his Death Energy. This was quite different from their original design by the Blue Star People, which was intended for activation with Battle Qi. The conversion between different energies inevitably led to some unnecessary loss.
With a major battle against the Skeleton Centurion imminent, Fang Zhou decided to adjust several key skills first. He had also spent this time analyzing many excellent Combat Professional skills with Instructor Lu Hu, which were perfect to use as Skill Materials for his Corpse Clone.
He looked at the Clone’s Skill Panel, hesitated for a moment, and decided to first strengthen three Black Iron-tier Combat Professional Universal Skills: Brutal Strike, Vortex Strike, and Battle Qi Slash.
He already had a plan for their enhancement paths. Brutal Strike would naturally be enhanced to improve Death Energy efficiency and increase single-target lethality. Vortex Strike would have its area of effect expanded and its Death Energy consumption reduced. And Battle Qi Slash would have its range increased, along with adding special efficacy against Undead creatures.
As he spent several thousand points of Soul Power and contribution points, the many Combat Professional Skill Books and Skill Insights he had prepared all integrated into his mind. This accumulation of knowledge and experience provided him with strong theoretical support.
Fang Zhou closed his eyes, concentrated, and began integrating this knowledge and these skills one by one.
Soon, the Extreme Enhancement versions of Brutal Strike, Vortex Strike, and Battle Qi Slash were ready.
[Deadly Strike] (Black Iron, Perfection): Infuse Death Energy into the weapon to instantly unleash enormous power, attacking a single enemy. Ignores a portion of defense and resistance to deal devastating damage. Damage is determined by the user’s Power Attribute, Death Energy intensity, and Skill Proficiency.
[Death Tornado] (Black Iron, Perfection): Concentrate Death Energy onto the weapon and spin it rapidly like a top, dealing continuous damage to a wide range of surrounding enemies. Can be used while moving. The skill effect, area of effect, and duration are determined by Skill Proficiency, Death Energy intensity, and Power Attribute.
[Death Energy Slash] (Black Iron, Perfection): Condense Death Energy to form an exceptionally sharp Air Blade capable of attacking enemies within a certain range. Gains additional effects based on the user’s own Energy Attribute. The Air Blade’s strength, skill effects, and attack range are determined by Death Energy intensity, Power Attribute, and Skill Proficiency.
Not too bad.
A sense of satisfaction filled Fang Zhou’s heart as he looked at his Clone’s attribute panel.
[Clone] Corpse Commander
[Tier] Black Iron · Upper
[Attributes] Power 100, Physique 100, Agility 92, Spirit 88
[Equipment] Poisonous Skeleton Long Spear +2 (Level 2 White Bone Stone x2), Poisonous Skeleton Armor +2 (Level 2 White Bone Stone x2), [Marvel] Berserker Mark (Purple)
[Skills] Skeleton Monarch (Black Iron, Instinct), Corpse Armor (Black Iron, Instinct), Corrosive Poison Incarnation (Instinct), Deadly Strike (Black Iron, Perfection), Death Energy Slash (Black Iron, Perfection), Death Tornado (Black Iron, Perfection), Heroic Charge (Black Iron, Mastery), High-level Weapon Specialization (Black Iron, Mastery), Block and Counterattack (Black Iron, Mastery), Victory Battle Cry (Black Iron, Mastery), Battle Qi Shield (Black Iron, Mastery), Vengeful Stance (Black Iron, Mastery), Horror Roar (Black Iron, Mastery), Trample (Black Iron, Mastery)
[Apostles] 10
[Servants] 12 Mutated + 83 Normal
Whereas Fang Zhou previously had doubts about his ability to quickly slay the Skeleton Centurion amidst a sea of bones, he no longer did. With the newly acquired, extremely enhanced Deadly Strike, Death Tornado, and Death Energy Slash, he now had absolute confidence in cutting down the formidable, incoming Skeleton Centurion with his spear!
All that remained was for the Skeleton Centurion to arrive.
「Time gradually passed.」
Guided by the clues Fang Zhou had deliberately left, the enemy he awaited arrived only a few hours later.
The first thing that came into view was a vast expanse of pale white.
After seeing more than ten skeleton clusters of varying sizes crippled and devoured in succession, the Skeleton Centurion, already possessing a degree of intelligence, was naturally not going to be careless. When it appeared before Fang Zhou, it was accompanied by a full Skeleton Battle Group of ten thousand! 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶
What did a full Skeleton Battle Group commanded by a Skeleton Centurion entail?
From the moment the Skeleton Centurion appeared, a dense Sea of Skulls began to spread from the distance, consuming the entire wilderness within his line of sight.
A glance revealed at least seven to eight thousand assorted melee skeletons across the wilderness.
At the very front of these melee skeletons were still the Giant Shield Skeleton Warriors. They were tall and strong, each holding a massive shield. Their tight formation resembled an indestructible wall, ready to block any possible attack.
Compared to the skeleton clusters led by a Skeleton Chiliarch, the number of Skeleton Centurions mixed in among these Skeleton Warriors was noticeably several times higher.
